The Amulet
by Puppygirlroks
Summary: Sixteen year old Serena's life is about to change when the dreams she has turns out to be the past. All characters are of my own creation.
1. Preface

**AN: This is my first story fan fiction. It has, roughly, my own story line and has my own characters. Enjoy!**

I was shivering, not from the cold, from fear. It was late at night and for some reason I was standing on top of a mountain. I looked over the edge and saw a sheer drop. Nothing stood in the way until you hit the lake far below. All around me were people dressed in aristocratic clothing. There was something about them that made me tense.

A man, probably the leader, stepped forward and raised something above his head. It was an amulet in the shape of a kite with a blood red stone in its center. I noticed everyone was looking at the sky. Looking I saw the moon full and bright. A comet was passing in front of it. Once in the center a beam of light, darker than the stone, connected the amulet to the comet. A shout of joy penetrated the night. It was hard not to feel happy with them.

I looked back at the man holding the amulet and watched as a stake was shot through one of his wrists, causing him to release the amulet and the beam to disappear. The shout for joy turned to a scream of terror. A man bearing a crossbow ran from the trees. He had a grizzled beard and a crazy gleam in his eye. As he took aim to fire again a boy, probably about my age, ran in front and tried to wrestle the crossbow from the man's hands.

As the fight was taking place a little girl ran to the edge. She would've gone over had her mother not stopped her. I looked over to see what she had gone for. The amulet was falling. I didn't even see it splash when it hit the lake. The little girl started to cry and a mournful howl started up. Tears stung my eyes as I watched the grizzled man leave the group. The boy he'd been fighting was on the ground, unmoving. A around me heads were thrown back and mouths were wide open.

Rain started to come down as I saw the fangs. A sudden realization hit me as I backed up. The clearing was occupied by vampires. I felt my foot slip off the edge and I fell. As I fell I screamed. I hit something and woke up.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: All characters are my own creation.**

I was sitting at the kitchen table falling asleep over my cheerios. (Honey nut cheerios because the regular tastes like cardboard.) I had woken up an hour before I usually do because of the dream. You know that feeling when you're falling in your sleep and you hit the bed? Yeah, that happened to me. My little brother had come in to see what had happened because I had been screaming.

"Serena!"

"I didn't do it!" I exclaimed, jumping.

Someone had yelled my name and that was my usual response. I looked around and saw my little brother Douglas. He's eight with brown hair and eyes. I am sixteen with short black hair, with blue streaks, and blue eyes. I only reached 5" 1' and he reached my shoulder. Though we were eight years apart and it's a rule to openly hate your little brother, I absolutely adored him.

"Are you alright?" He asked sitting back down on his chair.

"Nope. I had that dream again last night." I told my brother almost everything. We're really close

"Everything's fine. It's Friday." He said comforting me.

"I'm tired Doug. I might turn in early."

"Noooo!"

Every Friday since he had been able to stay up past eight, we stay up late and watch movies and late night, early morning cartoons. I fought back a laugh and nodded solemnly.

"I guess I could stay up tonight." He came around the table to hug me and went to get his stuff ready for school.

Just as I pushed my bowl away, a car horn honked. Grabbing my bag, I left. I yelled to my mom to tell her I was leaving and went out to the little green car waiting for me. My friend Claire was sitting in the driver's seat blaring her crappy scream-o. (I preferred eighties music.) I got in and turned it off. She gave me a quick glare, but saw that I wasn't in the mood and drove off.

Claire was the kind of girl that looked sweet and innocent, always in pink, and with blonde hair. While I was in jeans and whatever color shirt I felt like and usually in open toed shoes, she looked like a mixture of Daphne from Scooby Doo and the girl from Legally Blonde. In fact she was a typical goody-two-shoe until you heard the music she liked. We had been friends since first grade when I climbed a tree to rescue her teddy bear, an idiot kid had thrown it up there and now she was dating him. I had gotten the thing when I fell and dislocated my hip. Neither of us had changed much.

"You had that dream again last night didn't you?" She asked rounding a corner.

"I've lived here all my life and never had a dream like this. It's been the same one for over a month."

"Maybe you're having a premonition or something."

"Don't say that, please don't say that. You have no idea how scared I am."

"I can see it in your eyes Serena. Maybe you should see a shrink."

"I don't need a shrink. What I need is to get this dream out of my head and find out what it means." The rest of the ride passed in silence.

It was fourth period and I was in the library. (I was a library aide.) I was behind the desk at my own personal table researching. There were a couple people looking at the books and it was pretty quiet. I only had to yell once and it was because they were hitting each other with the dictionaries.

They came and lined up at the counter. As I checked their books they started to laugh at something. I turned around and saw someone at the computer going through my tabs, laughing quite audibly now.

"What are you looking at amulets for?" He asked.

"None of your god damned business. Get out."

"You're a freak you know that."

"You wanna see what a freak can do with a stamper and a pencil?" I threatened raising the said items.

They laughed some more but got very quiet very fast when the librarian came up. He was a very scary looking man; everyone was absolutely terrified of him. Everyone that is, but me. The boys quickly left the library.

"Hey Uncle John." I said going to the computer.

He was, in fact, my uncle on my mom's side. Mom didn't like to talk about her family, but I thought he was really cool.

"Hello Serena. You know the only people allowed back here are you and I." He had a rough gravelly voice that was terrifying when he yelled.

"I know. He got behind me when I was checking out books." I was exiting off the tabs and lingered on the amulets. I had been looking for thirty minutes, but had not found the one that matched my dream.

"If you don't mind my askin'. Why are you lookin' at amulets?" He asked peering over my shoulder.

"No particular reason. It's just that I dreamed about this one and no matter how hard I try to find it, it alludes me." I got off the last tab and leaned against the table facing him.

"What does it look like?"

"Kite-shaped, with a blood-red stone in the middle. I drew a picture." I showed him the picture I had drawn. I couldn't draw to save my life, but I had drawn this a million times and it looked really good. (I'm a better writer than an artist."

"What you have drawn is the Amulet of Ahmet."


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: All characters are my own creation.**

"Amulet of Ahmet?"

"Long ago there was a royal family, their last name was Ahmet. They were powerful, rich, and, in the case of most of them, cruel. One day the town was besieged by a horde of creatures. The family locked themselves up in their castle, along with their servants. For days the screams of the villagers were the only things to penetrate the walls. Then one day their youngest child, a girl, opened the doors and one of the creatures got in.

"Before it could be stopped it had bitten everyone within the castle. The people inside were scattered all over, changing. They were becoming vampires.

"Soon after, they met a man that said 'only the amulet christened with your name has the power to change you back, but only when the comet Amma crosses in front of the moon. They waited fifty years until word of the comet reached them.

"Everyone that had been bitten went to a mountain top with others that wished to be free of the curse. Soon Amma could be seen crossing in front of the moon. A beam of light connected the comet and the amulet, beginning the ceremony.

"Before the ceremony could be completed, a vampire hunter by the name Ranook shot a stake at the leader, piercing his wrist. The son of the leader fought with Ranook, trying to save his father. During the fight the amulet was lost over the edge of the mountain.

"It's believed that Ranook killed the son and went in search of the amulet. As the vampires mourned their losses, Ranook found the amulet and kept it, passing it down through the generations. That incident took place six hundred years ago. The comet itself is only seen every six hundred years. Sunday night you will be able to witness the comet as it passes." He finished his story and I looked at my feet.

"How do you know about all this?" I asked.

"We are the descendants of Ranook."

"Wait, I'm the descendent of a vampire hunter?" I looked up so fast I cricked my neck.

He nodded.

"Do you know where the amulet is?" I asked eagerly.

He nodded again and took from around his neck, the amulet! It looked just as it had in my dream. It was a little tarnished from age, but it looked almost perfect.

"I want you to keep a hold of this. In the hands of the vampires, they will become human and our people would be out of a job. Keep it safe."

He put the amulet around my neck and I tucked it under my shirt. The metal was ice cold and felt weird. Uncle John smiled as he went of to do whatever he usually did. The rest of the day passed without incident. Except when I was in fifth period dance and some freshman almost pushed me off the stage.

I got a ride home from Claire and for the first time she didn't talk my ear off.

As soon as I got home I rushed to my room. I closed my door and locked it, I never locked my door. Walking over to my bed, I knelt down and reached under it. I pulled out a safe-like box and punched in the combination. It opened and I removed the amulet from around my neck. I grabbed my Chinese box, it's something where you open one and there's another one inside. Going to the last one, I put the amulet in it and put it back the way it was. I locked it up in my safe and pushed it way under my bed.

I wasn't overly suspicious, but enough to make me want to hide it for the rest of eternity. I made my way downstairs to wait for everyone to get home.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: All characters are my own creation.**

It was 10:45 p.m. I was telling Doug the story Uncle John had told me. The window was wide open and a cool breeze played across my face. I was at the part where Ranook had found the amulet when something thudded outside the window. Doug jumped from his seat and ran into my lap. I looked out the window and saw nothing.

"What was that?" Doug whispered.

"No idea. I'll go check it out."

I set him on my chair as I stood and went to the back door. I opened it as wide as I dared and looked around. Just as I was closing the door the wind picked up and something brushed the top of my head. I shut the door and locked it.

"Please sister. I need your help." Whispered a very quiet voice.

"Was that you Doug?" I asked, turning to him.

He shook his head rapidly and pointed over my shoulder, I turned around slowly. Hiding behind the wall separating the dining room from the living room, was a little girl. She had to have been Doug's age, eight or nine.

"Where did you come from?" I asked, kneeling down.

"I got lost, and then I heard you telling that awful story. Could you tell me where I am? Or at least where the closest cemetery is? There's a hunter out there and I need to find my parents."

She stepped out and I recognized her as the little girl from my dream. She had brown curly hair that caused her to look, somewhat, like Shirley Temple. The only problem was that I could see fangs hanging over her bottom lip.

"I know you. You were in my dream."

"How is that so?" Wait, you are a mortal! What are you doing telling that story? Who are you?" She said, getting very defensive.

"My name is Serena. This is my brother Doug. Our uncle told me that story. He said that we are descendants of Ranook. But to tell the truth, I couldn't kill anybody, even vampires."

"You are descended from that monster. He very nearly killed my brother and almost cost my father his hand. And what do you mean I was in your dream?"

"I've been having this same dream over and over again for a little more than a month. I don't know what it means." I then told her about my dream. I even told her about my emotions during the dream.

"It was told that somewhere in the generations, one would have sympathy for our kind and rise against their family to help us. You must be the one. But your brother, is he the same?" She looked over my shoulder at Doug.

"Doug wouldn't hurt a fly." I said standing protectively in front of him.

"Very well, I must go. Can you point me to the nearest cemetery?"

"Yeah, sure. There's on the other side of town. It's kinda small, but it's got a bunch of crypts." Doug answered, pointing out the window.

"Its a couple miles away from the mountains. If you see a lake, you've gone too far." I added.

She thanked us and walked to the backdoor. Before she could unlock it, a bright light shone over our backyard. She hissed and retreated behind the wall again. I unlocked the door and walked out. I climbed half way up the fence to see over it.

"Oi! What the Hell do you think you're doing? People are trying to sleep!" I yelled whilst shielding my eyes.

The light dimmed a little and someone got out of a rather large pick-up truck.

"So sorry my dear. The vampire population around here is goin' to go up in the next couple of days. I'm just doin' my job."

Uncle John came up to the fence and looked over. He was tall enough to look over the fence without even getting on tip-toes.

"Thanks Uncle John, but everything's fine here."

I jumped off the fence and went back inside. As I locked the door the lights disappeared.

"Thank you again Serena. By the way, my name is Elizabeth."

I looked at the little girl and responded. A smile lit up her face as she, once again, headed for the door.

"Wait! You can't go out there! Our uncle is out there. You can stay here for the tonight." Doug said, bounding forward to block the door.

"That would be kind, but I don't want to intrude."

"No intrusion. Come on, you can sleep in my closet." I said leading the way upstairs.

We got to my room and I opened the closet. There was a chest where I kept notebooks and old Halloween costumes. I kneeled down and opened it and removed the layer of notebooks. Doug helped me get up, my hip was pretty faulty, and I stepped back.

"Are you hurt?" Elizabeth asked me, looking at how I leaned against the wall.

"In first grade I dislocated my hip, occasionally it'll act up. Will this work?"

"It's perfect. Thank you, for everything."

She climbed in and I shut the lid. I left my closet door cracked and went to my bed. Doug came over and sat in my lap.

"How's about you sleep in here tonight." I said, resting my chin on his head.

"Thanks."

He got comfortable by my side and was asleep in minutes. I on the other hand was wide awake for hours. My mind was a buzz of activity.

'There's a vampire in my chest, in my closet. What was I thinking? No wonder Mom never talks about her family. What am I gonna do?'

That thought stayed with me all through the night.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: All characters are my own creation.**

"Brace yourself!" Doug shouted, running towards me.

I was the next day at around noon. Doug and I were playing at the park down the street from our house. Doug was going to run and jump on me, but what he didn't know was that I was going to move and he was going to land in the sandbox. He leapt and I went all matrix/ninja and he soared right past me. He landed, as I had planned, in the sandbox.

"Oh yeah! I'm a ninja! Did you see my ninjaness?" I said going into a ninja pose.

"Aww, why'd ya move?" He asked, getting to his knees.

"'Cause I'm a big sister and that's what big sisters do."

I helped him to his feet and he latched onto one of my legs. I couldn't move, as he very well knew.

"Let go of me."

"No, not until you say you'll catch me next time."

"You know I will."

"Say it."

"Fine, I'll catch you next time and every other time."

"You mean it?"

"Of course…" He released my leg. "Not!"

I took off to another section of the park and he came tearing after me. He knew that I would always be there for him when he needed me. Right now we were going to play and I was going to wear him out.

We got home around five. I ended up giving Doug, somewhat, a piggy-back ride half-way there. I was closing the front door as he ran upstairs.

"Stay out of my closet!" I shouted after him.

I went into the kitchen and saw Mom pouring a cup of milk. There was something simmering on the stove and it made the whole house smell good. I got a glass of sweet tea from the pitcher in the fridge and sat down at the table.

"What's in your closet that you don't want Doug getting' in to?" Mom asked stirring the contents of the pot.

"Nothing really. I just don't want him to make a mess. What's in the pot?"

"Chicken soup. Did you have fun at the park?"

"Yep."

I stared at the table, contemplating what to say next.

"Mom, why don't you like talking about your family?"

"There's really nothing to talk about. Why?" She looked at me suspiciously.

"I was talking to Uncle John the other day. He seems like a cool guy."

"Actions, words, and looks can be deceiving."

'Tell me about it.' I thought.

The next couple of hours passed without incident. Dad came home just before dinner and when we all finished I loaded the dish washer. As I washed the pot by hand Mom and Dad went upstairs and Doug turned on cartoons. When I finished I ran upstairs to have a shower and change.

I came downstairs and heard Doug laughing. Coming into the living room, I saw why. Elizabeth was pushing the buttons on the remote and exclaiming everytime the channel changed. She saw me and quickly composed herself.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sad to say I have to leave. My parents will be wondering where I got to." She walked to the back door and Doug followed her.

"Can you fly?" Doug asked her.

"Yes."

"Take me flying. Please."

"Alright. I very much want to show you to my parents. They would be most surprised to see you and know who you are." She took Doug's hand and headed out the back door.

"Wait! I cannot let Doug go outside, at night, without me. I am his big sister." I said slipping on my blue flip flops.

Elizabeth smiled and took my hand in her free one. I closed the back door behind us and she jumped and took off.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: All characters are my own creation.**

Flying was one of the most wonderful sensations I've ever felt. The cool air felt great and the view was spectacular. I wanted to tell Elizabeth that I had the amulet, but her and Doug were talking and I didn't want to interupt. It was nice to see him talking to a girl his own age.

I noticed that we were approaching the cemetery and that we were descending. My feet touched the ground and and I looked around. We were in the very heart of the cemetery, next to an abandoned crypt.

"Now when my parents get here..." Elizabeth started, but was interrupted by chittering. "Quickly hide! If they see you without my explaination first they will jump to conclusions."

I grabbed Doug and ran into the crypt. We ducked behind the door when three figures descended from the sky. I looked through a hole in the wall and watched as a man and woman landed behind Elizabeth and a boy about my age land in front of the crypt.

"Elizabeth, where have you been?" The woman asked, embracing her child. "I've been so worried."

"I heard the most wonderful voice telling a story and I just had to listen. I'm sorry Mother."

"Which translates to 'I got lost'." Said the boy with a chuckle.

"Shh. Why do I smell a human?" The man said taking a step.

"Humans walk in here during the day. But Father there's something I need to talk to you about." Elizabeth said stepping in front of her father.

"The smell is fresh. Damon, check the crypt behind you." He pushed Elizabeth into her mother's arms and the two males approached the crypt.

I put Doug behind me so he was against the wall and prepared for the worst. The first one inside was Damon. He was tall, mabye 5'8", and when he faced me I saw a scar on his neck that ran from his right cheek all the way to the base of his throat. I stared at him and he stared right back.

Neither of us moved. As I stared into his dark red eyes, something popped and for some reason I felt like I was on cloud nine. Before either of us could say or do anyting, I was pulled to my feet and dragged outside. I came to my senses when my feet were no longer onb the ground. The man was holding me in the air by my shirt front.

"What do we have here? A spy for Ranook?" He growled in my face.

"I'm no spy. Now, put me down." I pulled at his hands but he had a tight grip.

"Who do you think you are? Do you know who I am?"

"I know you need a breath mint." I waved my hand in front of my face to prove my point. I ahd no idea why I was taunting him, maybe I had a death wish or maybe I knew he wouldn't hurt me without his son interfering.

"Why you insolent little..."

"Father wait." Elizabeth ran forward and grabbed the hand he had raised to hit me. "Her and her brother are descendents of Ranook, but they both have a sympathy for us. She's even dreamed about us."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He set me down and released my shirt. Doug ran at me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Leave us human. Our affairs are not yours."

"But..." Elizabeth started.

"No buts. We do not need a human, we need the amulet."

"Excuse me sir." I said cautiously.

"You have no place to speak here."

"Oh really. This is America. I'm allowed to say whatever I want to." I was steadily getting braver as he was getting angrier.

"You know what human, I've had about enough of your insolence." He stepped forward and raised his arm.

I pushed Doug behind me and glared at him. Before he could hit me a whirring noise started up. I looked over my shoulder and saw a man come around a corner bearing a silver cross and several high-powered flashlights around his waist. The vampire family began to retreat as the man advanced

I did the first thing that came to mind. Turning my back to the family, I threw my arms wide to try and block the light. Doug started to throw rocks. He broke a couple of the lights and even got the guy in the head. Just as the man accepted defeat and turned to leave I saw his face. It was Uncle John.

Soon I could hear a truck start and it rumbled away. I put my arms down and breathed a sigh of relief. Doug stood beside me and I ruffled his hair.

"You should go out for baseball." I said looking at him.

"I apologize for earlier." I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see the man.

"It's alright, I understand. I'm Serena, by the way. This is my brother Doug."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gedric, this is my wife Anne, and my son Damon. Now, there was something you needed to tell me."

"Yes, I have your amulet." His eyes widened and he grabbed my shoulders.

"You have the Amulet of Ahmet? Where did you find it?"

"That man that was just here, he's my uncle. He gave it to me Friday. It's safe and sound in my home."

"You are truly a gift sent from the gods. The woman, Anna, said.

"I can get it to you tomorrow. Right now, my brother and I need to get home."

"Damon help them home." Gedric said looking to his son. "Damon will get you tomorrow night as soon as the sun sets. Please, guard that amulet with your life." He finished looking at me.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: All characters are of my own creation.**

On the way home Damon flew with me and Doug was with Elizabeth ahead of us. My cheeks were burning, and not from the cold. Damon was very gentlemanly. I was having a hard time believing Uncle John when he had said they were cruel.

"So how old are you?" I asked him.

"In the eyes of a human, I am seventeen. What about you?" His voice was rough, but very comforting.

"Sixteen. I'm sorry about my ancestor. You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

"You don't need to apologize about something that had nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me. I'm a descendent of that monster."

"You may be a descendent, but you are nothing like him or any vampire hunter. In fact, you are just incredible."

"No I'm not." I blushed a little more from the compliment.

"My sister likes you. I trust her opinion. Not only that but your brother is the only one her age she's been able to talk to for centuries. Like my mother said, 'You are truly a gift from the gods'."

When we got to the house Damon took off with his sister, but not before he promised to be here after sunset for the amulet. As I slept that night I couldn't help but dream about flying away with Damon.

I woke up the next day at one o' clock in the afternoon. I fell out of bed in my rush to get up and landed on my bad hip.

"Well, today's not going to be a good day not is it." I grumbled as I tried to pull myself off the floor by my bed.

I decided to just put on a pair of sweat pants and a cami because I didn't want to dress up. I went downstairs carefully, limping slightly. Doug was playing video games and I could hear Mom arguing on the phone. I decided to sneak over to listen in on the spare phone. I picked it up, covered the mouth piece, and listened carefully.

"Your daughter is in line with vampires. I saw her last night in the cemetery." I recognized Uncle John's voice.

'Oh shit, he recognized me!' I thought trying to calm my breathing.

"You're insane John. Serena doesn't even believe in them. Besides, she was home all last night." Mom replied, her voice full of anger.

"How can you be sure of that? Oh, and another thing, I have reason to believe she's carrying the demon's spawn. She not only blocked them from my light, but also had one chuckin' rocks at me."

"How dare you say my daughter's pregnant! If you come near her or any one else in my house, I will kill you." She slammed the phone down and I slowly lowered mine.

I went back to Doug and sat down. Mom came out of the kitchen, mad as hell, and noticed me.

"Good afternoon Serena. What did you do last night?" She stared right into my eyes.

"I was up pretty late reading a book. Sorry I slept in. Who was that on the phone?" I made my face look innocent and hoped to God that she couldn't see past my, half, lie.

"No one. Listen to me. If you see my brother John, go the other way. He's very dangerous. Promise me."

"Okay Mom. I promise."


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: All characters are of my own creation.**

"What are you going to do if Uncle John asks for the amulet?" Doug asked me.

We were walking around the neighborhood talking, hanging out. Our weekend was almost over and coming Monday I was hoping for a normal life.

"Tell him I lost it, I guess. He saw me last night at the cemetery. I heard him tell Mom over the phone that I was pregnant with a vampire baby."

"Eww." He made a face that made me laugh.

"Well, at least he didn't recognize you. That would've caused a little more problems."

We rounded the corner that led to our street and a big, blue pick-up truck was coming our way. I recognized John in the front seat and started to panic. I grabbed Doug's hand and made a right into the alley that ran behind our house. We booked it down the alley.

Doug was somewhat in front of me leading the way. We got to the gate and I picked Doug up so he could reach the latch on the other side. It swung open and we both ran to the back door. Ignoring Mom's questions, I ran to the stairs and went up to my room.

Doug followed me in and I locked the door behind us. I got to my knees and went under my bed. I had to go almost all the way under to get my hands on my safe. Doug grabbed my feet and pulled me out from under the bed and I tried to steady my hand.

I heard a thud downstairs and my mom yelling. One look at Doug and we had a mental agreement. While I punched in the combination, he ran to my closet and pulled out one of my old crutches. He ran to the door and fixed it under the handle so it would be harder for someone to get in. I pulled out my Chinese box and threw the pieces everywhere as Doug came to stand beside me.

I got the amulet out of the last one and held it in my hands as something hit the door. Doug got in front of me protectivly, but I pushed him behind me. Another thud hit the door and I saw the head of an ax come through the wood.

It only took a couple more swings for him to be able to get in. John kicked things out of his way and stepped towards us, the ax swinging limply at his side.

"Give me the amulet Serena." He raised his hand and stepped towards me.

"You want it," I stuck the amulet down my shirt into my bra. "come and get it."

He shrugged his shoulders and came at me. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, glaring at him. He grabbed me around the waist and flung me over his shoulder. I struggled but he was too strong.

He walked out the front door and to his truck. He threw me in the passenger seat and got behind the wheel. As he drove away I tried to open the door, but he had it locked.

"Let me out!" I shouted, pounding on the window.

"Not until after the ceremony. But if you give me the amulet, that would be a different story."

"No. They're just like us. Wouldn't it be better if they were human too?"

"Monsters like them don't deserve to be human."

"They aren't the monsters."

I glared at him as he got on the freeway and headed out of town. The sun set and I wanted to cry. As I went to rub my eyes, there was a thud on the roof. John swerved, almost knocking another driver off the road.

Something smashed a hole in the window next to me and ripped the door off. Someone jumped so he was standing where the door had been. I recognized Damon as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me out of the truck. He swung me up into his arms bridal style and headed towards the mountains.

"Damon! You came for me."

"Of course I did. Your brother told me what happened. Elizabeth took him to the mountain top and I tracked you down. He also happened to mention that your uncle thinks you are carrying a vampire child. Elaborate."

"He saw me protecting your family. That and he didn't know it was Doug throwing the rocks. He went to the wrong conclusion."

He nodded and the rest of the flight was silent.


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: All characters are of my own creation.**

As we approached the mountain top Damon tightened his grip on me. He landed in front of a large group of people and set me on my feet. Almost immediately they all converged on us. I noticed that they were all staring at me. I backed up a little but couldn't go far because of the edge.

"She is mine. Touch her and you'll pay." Damon growled, crouching in front of me defensively.

They all backed up and Gedric approaced me.

"Do you have it?" He asked.

I reached down my shirt and pulled it out. He took it from me and went to the edge. He raised it above his head and I watched as the ceremony began.

The comet passed in front of the moon and a beam of light connected it to the amulet. I felt a hand grab mine and looked at who it was. It was Damon.

"From the moment I saw you, I loved you. I will understand if you don't feel the same." He said looking down at me.

"The first time I saw you, I felt a pop and it felt like I was on cloud nine. I have never felt this way about any one, ever."

We stared into each other's eyes as a cloud descended around us. Before I could say or do anything, Damon was kissing me. After a long moment we broke apart and stared into each other's faces, memorizing every detail.

As I blinked he slowly got taken away by the cloud. Before too long he was gone and I stood alone. Tears poured down my face as someone pulled on my shirt.

"Here When Gedric disappeared, he dropped this." Doug handed me the amulet.

I took it and put it around my neck. Now it felt warm and inviting. As it laid against my chest the warmth fought with the cold invading my heart.

"Come on Doug. Let's get off this God forsaken mountain." We found a safe path and went down, heading home.

…

We got home around one-thirty in the morning. Mom was more worried than angry. We had decided to tell her the truth, and she still wasn't mad at us. She was very proud of us, and so was Dad.

The next week was practically murder. Mom sued John for breaking and entering and kidnapping, he went to jail. I now have a bead curtain for a door and the dreams have stopped. Welcome to normal life U.S.A.


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: All characters are of my own creaton.**

"Close your eyes." Doug scolded.

"They're closed." I responded.

It was a month after the Ahmets had been turned human. My family and I were at a company picnic for Dad's office. Me, Doug, and a bunch of other kids were starting a game of hide-and-seek.

I got to thirty and went in search of the kids. Sure there were plenty of people my age to hang out with, but there was only one person that I truly wanted to be with and he wasn't here. I reached up to my chest and carressed the amulet.

I found almost all the kids and was looking for the last one, Doug. I got to where all the picnic tables were and started looking under them.

"Did you lose something?"

I bumped the back of my head on the underside of a table as I stood up. I looked around for the voice and felt my heart stop. I stared right at Damon. He had barely changed. His scar was still there, his eyes were dark brown, and his hair looked as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Damon?"

"That's me. Were you looking for me? I can tell you this, I wouldn't be under a table."

"You don't recognize me do you?"

"I think I would've remembered a face like yours. Should I?" He had a comical look on his face, like he thought it was a joke.

"I don't know. Just tell me this. What do you think of this?" I held the amulet up and he looked at it.

A shimmer of confusion crossed his face. I turned away but he put his hand on my shoulder. I looked back. Realization lit up his face and he smiled.

"Serena? Serena, I remember everything. I knew something was missing." He swept me into his arms and swung me around.

"Damon, where have you been?" I asked as he set me down.

"Father's been looking for a job ever since we turned human. He found one with this company. If I'm right, we'll be moving in a couple houses down from yours. How have you been?"

The next few hours passed blissfully. Doug ended up playing with Elizabeth and both our parents got to know each other. Everything seemed to fall right into place.

"Damon, promise me something." I said wrapping my arms around his neck.

"What?" He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Never leave me like you did."

"I promise. Promise me that you are, now and forever, mine."

"I promise."

He pulled me to him so that my feet were no longer on the ground and kissed me.


End file.
